Barometer valve.



E. E. EBY.

BAROMETRIC VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6.1915.

1 ,266,566 Patented May 21, 1918.

ATmospherz.

- INVENTOR faw/E. E694 ATTRNEY EARL E.

OF WILKINSBUZRG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELEC- TRIO AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

BAROMETRIC VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918-.

Application filed July 6, 1915. Serial No. 38,118.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL E. EBY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Barometric Valves, of which the following is a specification. c

My invention relates to valves of the barometric type, and it has for an object to provide means whereby a valve of the character indicated ma be simply and effectively controlled an whereby it may be protected from mechanical injury.

Another object of my invention is to provide simple and inexpensive means for conveying current to an insulated electrode in a vapor converter or similar apparatus and, furthermore, to provide means whereby a temperature-controlling fluid may be circulated through anelectrode of the character indicated.

'The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a side view, partially in section and partially in elevation, of a vapor converter including a'valve constructed in accordance with my invention, together with the necessary attendant auxiliary apparatus.

In the operation of vapor-electric apparatus, such, for example, as vapor converters of the large size metal case t pe, it is necessary to provide means where y a pump may be readily connected and disconnected from the interior of the converter, the disconnecting means being of suchcharacter as to permit practically no leakage at the extremely high vacuum employed. One of the simplest and most obvious types of apparatus to employ for this purpose is the well known barometric seal but the use of devices of this character has hitherto been. limited by the fact that the seal was somewhat diflicult to operate and was, furthermore, cumbersome and easily broken in commercial use, having a minimum inherent length of at least twenty-nineinches when employing mercury as the sealing fluid.

I have provided an extremely simple and effective system of pneumatic control for a barometric seal whereby it may be conveniently and expeditiously closed from a considerable distance, if necessary, and, by

placing the seal itself entirely within the container of a vapor converter, its operation is in no sense impaired but it is effectually protected from mechanical injury.

By the expression barometric seal, I refer to that class of structures wherein the difference of pressure between the atmosphere or a given inclosed space and the interior of a more or less highly evacuated container is balanced, in a tube connecting said two spaces of different gas pressure, by means of a body of liquid, preferably mercury. By increasing or decreasing the amount of said sealing fluid by pneumatL cally injecting or withdrawing the same, I am enabled to conveniently and accurately control the opening or closing of said tube to the passage ofgas therethrou-gh. I shall hereinafter designate this combination of baromentric seal, together with pneumatic operating means therefor,- as a barometric valve.

Furthermore, by constructing a barometric valve of conducting material and causing it to extend into contact with an electrode within the container and by connecting a supply circuitv to the exhaust tube, I am enabled to supply current to said electrode through the same insulating joint that is employed for sealing the exhaust tube into the container wall, thus reducing the num-,

the cover of the container 2 and into contact With the material of the electrode 4 and is sealed into and insulated from said cover by a suitable joint 7 of any desired form, The tube 6 is provided at its upper end with an .outlet pipe 8 which is connected to a suitable exhaust pump 9, preferably through an insulating joint 10. A closed receptacle 11 surrounds the lower open end of the tube 6 and is partially filled with a sealing fluid 12,

such, for example, as mercury. The receptacle 11 is composed of conducting material and its outer surface is in contact with the material of the electrode 4:. An internal exhaust tube 13 is sealed into the wall of the tube 6 at a point 14, at its upper end and is in free communication with the interior of the container, and its lower open end terminates at a point above the lower end of the tube 6. A control tube 15 connects the space within the receptacle 11 above the liquid 12 with a suitable controlvalve 16 through an insulating joint 17. The interior of the tube L5 maybe connected either to the atmosthe tube 6 above the surface of the pool 12 therein and thence passes upwardly through the tube 6 to the pump 9. In order to close the main valve, the controlling valve 16 is moved to connect the tube 15 with the atmosphere, whereupon the atmospheric pressure within the upper portion of the receptacle 11 forces down the mercury level of the pool 12 exterior to the tube 6 and raises the level therein, first submerging the lower end of the tube 13 and then rising within the tubes 6 and 13 to a point indicated. for example, by a line 18, resulting in a sealing column having a length of from twenty-nine to thirty inches if the container 2 is highly exhausted. The tube 15 is now closed by proper manipulation of the valve 16. If air leaks through the pump 9 into the tube 6, the mercury column therein will drop, raising the level within the reservoir 11 to a greater or less degree. The fact that the upper portion of the receptacle 11 was charged to atmospheric pressure when the mercury column in the tube 6 stood at the height 18 prevents the free flow of mercury thereinto and the back pressure which is developed permits the mercury within the tube 6 to fall only to some such point as is indicated by a line 19, at the same time raising the level within the tube 13 to a point 20.

If desired, the entire barometric valve may be located exterior to the rectifier but for mechanical protection, I find it preferable to place it therein.

A conductor 21 may be clamped to the tube 8 so that current is supplied to the cathode 4 without the use of any joints in addition to that shown at 7 for the sealing of the tube 6.

I may, if desired, place tubes for the circulation of cooling fluid for the cathode within the main tube 6 after the manner indicated in U. S. patent to Kraus & Mailey #1,0-16,0S3, but supplementary features of this character are obvious to those skilled in the art and constitute no part of the invention.

If it be found that the operating are within the container 2exhibits a tendency to run up or injure the tube 6, an insulating shield 22 may be placed around the same, suitable openings 23 being" placed therein below the level of the cathode t in order that the material of the latter may come into intimate contact with the receptacle 11.

The use of a liquid sealing material, such, for example, as mercury, has been described throughout this case, but I may, if desired, substitute therefor a fusible material, such, for example, as solder, applying heat when operating the same, all as described and claimed in a copending application of E. E.

Rose, Serial No. 61,085, filed Nov. 12, 1915,

and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. When employing a solid sealing material, the valve is preferably located outside the container in order that it may be readily heated. The valve need not have the height of the corresponding barometric column as the rigidity of the sealing material, when cooled, prevents its displacement by atmospheric pressure.

While I have shown my invention in its preferred formsfit 'will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is susceptible of various minor changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof and I desire, therefore, that only such restrictions shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a closed con tainer, of a pump external thereto, a tube connecting said pump with the interior of said container for transferring fluid therebetween, a valve for controlling the flow through said tube, said valve being located entirely within said container, and pneumatic operating means for said valve located external to the container, the body of fluid operating medium for said valve being independent of the fluid body transferred between said pump and the interior of said container. 5

2. The combination with a closed container, of a pump external thereto, a tube connecting said pump with the interior of said container, a'barometric valve for controlling the flow through said tube, said valve being located entirely Within said eontainer, and pneumatic operating means for said valve located externally to the container, said pneumatic operating means being substantially independent of said pump.

3. The combination with a vapor converter including a closed container provided with an electrode at the bottom thereof, of

an exhaust tube projecting into said converter and into contact with said electrode, and connections from an external circuit to said exhausttube, whereby'said tube serves as a current lead to said electrode.

4. The combination with a vapor converter including a closed container provided with an electrode at the bottom thereof, of an exhaust tube projecting thereinto and provided with a valve entirely within said container, said valve extending intocontact with said electrode and being provided with operating means, and connections from an electric circuit to said exhaust tube, whereby said tube and valve operate to supply current to said electrode.

' 5. The combination with a vapor converter, of an exhaust tube connected thereto,

and a valve of the barometric type for controlling said exhaust tube, said valve being mounted within said converter and being provided with operating means.

-6. In a valve, the combination with a vertically disposed tube provided with a port adjacent to its upper end and open at its lower end, of a second tube surrounding and incasing said first mentioned tube throughout the major portion of its length and extending below the lower end thereof, said outer tube being provided with openings adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof, a body of sealing material surrounding the lower end of said outer tube and submerging the opening therein, and means for adjusting the level of the surface of said body abgve and below the lower end of said inner tu e.

7. In a valve, the combination with a vertically disposed tube provided with a port adjacent to its upper end and open at its lower end, of a second tube surrounding and incasing said first mentioned tubethroughout the major portion of its length and extending below the lower end thereof, said outer tube being provided with openings adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof,

a pool of sealing fluid surrounding the lower end of said outer tube and submerging the opening therein, and means for varying the pressure on the surface of said pool exterior to saidouter tube for adjusting the surface thereof within said outer tube to points abloge and below the lower end of said inner 8. In a valve, the combination with a ver= tically disposed tube provided with a port adjacent to its upper end and open at its lower end, of a second tube surrounding and incasing said first mentioned tube throughout the major portion of its length and exco tending below the lower end thereof, said outer tube being provided with openings adjacent the'upper and lower ends thereof,

a closed receptacle containing a body of sealing fluid surrounding the lower end of said outer tube and. submerging the opening therein, and means for varying the pressure within said receptacle, whereby the level of the said fluid within said outer tube may be adjusted to points above and below the lower end of said inner tube.

9. The combination with a closed container, of a pump external thereto, a tube connecting said pump with the interior of c said container, a valve for controlling the flow through said tube, said valve being lo cated entirely within said containerand comprising an outer tube having an open lower end terminating in a pool of sealing liquid and an inner tube having an open lower end terminating above the lower end of said outer tube, and pneumatic operating means for said valve located external to the container for varying the pressure on the surface of said pool exterior to said outer 85 tube in order to adjust the surface thereof within said outer tube to points above and below the lower end of said inner tube.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day of June,

- EARL E. EBY. 

